Johnson, standing tall at a chiseled 6 foot 5 inches, said that he trained more for Hercules than any other role he has played. “But in the end,” he said. “It was all well worth it.”

Before production began, the 41-year old star (who is often called the “franchise saver”), told MTV news that this role has been a dream of his for years.

“Understand, for me when I was a kid, Hercules was always a hero of mine, from Steve Reeves to the multiple guys who have played Hercules, but the idea and the notion of this man,” he said. “When I first got into movies, I thought, ‘Gosh, I would love to do that one day.’ I always thought that the version of Hercules that I want to play was one that was more dramatic and survived in barren lands and not necessarily slick in any way or anything like that. It’s been around and been on my mind for some time.”

Though the new trailer doesn’t give many details of the film, viewers see plenty of shots of the bearded scantily-clad actor fighting various mythical creatures and, of course, locking lips with a dark-haired beauty. It’s enough to spark curiosity. And with his looks and charming personality, movie-goers seem to love him, despite some film flops in which he has appeared (Be Cool).

The $100 million film, directed by Brett Ratner (The Family Man, Red Dragon, Prison Break), also stars Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, and John Hurt.